Issue - meetings

This report notes the publication of the York Economic Vision and invites Members to forward it to the Local Development Framework Working Group for further consideration.

Note:

Annex 2 to the above report (the full York Economic Vision document) has not been included in the printed agenda pack and is available to view on-line only. 

RESOLVED: That the report be referred to the Local Development Framework Working Group for further consideration.

REASON:      To support future investment in the City and encourage high standards of design.

Members received a report which noted the publication of the York Economic Vision and invited Members to forward it to the Local Development Framework Working Group for further consideration.

The York Economic Vision document had been prepared by Professor Alan Simpson and his team, following public engagement in the City, including numerous meetings with key stakeholders.  It had been funded by Yorkshire Forward and English Heritage as part of a set of York Renaissance proposals reported to Executive in November 2009.  The full document had been made available on-line as Annex 2 to the report; an executive summary of the main proposals was attached as Annex 1.

The Economic Vision examined the economic potential of the City and considered how various major projects could be pulled together into a coherent strategy to provide greater certainty for future investment.  It acknowledged that York was an attractive place in which to live, work and study, but drew attention to problems with transport infrastructure, lack of green spaces and fractured connections between key city assets, and made a strong economic and cultural case to address these issues.

With reference to the comments made on this item under Public Participation / Other Speakers, Members emphasised the independent nature of the Vision document, which was intended to provoke debate and discussion.  Referring it to an all-party working group was a way of ensuring broad agreement to any ideas that were subsequently fed into long term plans for the City. Having noted the comments of the Labour Group Spokespersons on this item, it was

RESOLVED: That the report be referred to the Local Development Framework Working Group for further consideration. ¹

REASON:      To support future investment in the City and encourage high standards of design.